This invention is related to the art of instructional amusement devices for blind children specifically a coloring book which teaches relative shapes and sizes of objects to be colored.
According to recent statistics, blindness among people may vary from about 0.04% to 4% of the population throughout various parts of the world, but averages approximately 0.042% in most highly developed countries including the United States. Blindness is defined as a visual acculity of less than 20/200 corrected, with the visually impaired persons having a corrected visual acculity between 20/200 and 20/70. Both the blind and visually impaired persons require special attention in the area of education and amusement, the former being a more important consideration for younger children. The prior art is replete with samples of combustion amusement and educational toys, games, or other devices, but all together tend to neglect the special needs of the blind.
A coloring book is considered to provide amusement while at the same time provides the means for children to become closely acquainted with the objects or images to be colored. Consequently, a coloring book has some educational utility in that it teaches the shape, size, color, and natural habitates of various objects and images.
The existence of pictures for the blind is not novel as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 2523828 issued to Howe on Sept. 26, 1950. In this reference, silhouettes of various objects and images are disposed upon a planar surface and are adaptable to tactual sensation by blind persons. A variation in the thickness of the silhouette may impart three dimensional perceptions.
A coloring book for the blind may be based upon similar principles wherein the outline of an object may be sensed from either raised or recessed images for the purpose of tactually defining the limits of the objects to be colored. A disclosure of a picture to be colored having raised outlines is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2371153 issued to Connelly on Mar. 13, 1945, although not specifically adapted for use by the blind. Its primary purpose is to provide means for more effectively constraining the limits of the respective colors during the coloring process.
Special problems associated with the blind include the provision of an image together with actual coloring means for coloring the image. Once the image and coloring means are presented, methods for coloring correctly and completely must be provided. Means should also be provided to impart the knowledge of relative size and texture of the object being colored for educational purposes.
In view of the foregoing, the primary objective to be accomplished by the teachings of this invention is to provide a coloring book for the blind which amuses and educates.
Insofar as amusement is concerned, the applicant comments that pleasurable experiences for young children are achieved by the successful performance of a task, namely, the task of coloring the respective counter parts of the object directly and completely.
Regarding the educational aspects and objectives of the invention, it is important to note that because blind persons are unable to become familiar with a great number of objects, their learning process may become somewhat retarded. However, should blind children undergo the exercise of tactually sensing the shapes of the respective objects by coloring within their outlines and borders, the learning deficiency or disability is removed. Consequently, the educational aspects of such a coloring book is enhanced.
Other objectives of the invention may be accomplished by the provision of variations in the surface texture of the object or images to be colored, the provision of a measuring element associated with the image so that relative sizes may be perceived, and the provision of a special coloring surface adaptable to be felt to determine color coverage.
Another object of the invention is to provide a coloring book for the blind having associated coloring means with tactile indicia thereon. It is a further object of the invention to provide a coloring book for the blind wherein the images to be colored have associated therewith visual and tactual color identifying means for the various portions of the images. It is a further object of the invention to provide a coloring book for the blind wherein the respective portions of the images are recessed to an extent in accordance with their three dimensional perceptions.
It is also an object of this invention to provide simplified tactual coding means for determining color of the respective coloring means.
Further objects of the invention will become more readily apparent upon the disclosure to follow herein.